by Manjit Handa
Born in an obscure village, Chachoki, on the periphery of the town Phagwara, Punjab, India in 1919, Lakha Singh did not carry many pleasant memories of his early childhood. Forced to abandon his studies half-way through, because of poverty, he started his professional career of a builder at a tender age.
Endowed with a prolific memory and keen intelligence, gifted with unique commonsense and possessing rare qualities of perseverance and tenacity of purpose, Lakha Singh achieved all that one calls success. But it is not the material success alone that sets him apart from the ordinary mortals. It was his single-mindedness, dedication to high morals and human values that made him a true philanthropist.
Lakha Singh’s father, S. Partap Singh Bahra and his doting mother, Smt. Pali, passed on to their son, the legacy of hard work, dignity of intense labor and unimpeachable integrity. The result was that instead of becoming complacent or giving in to his dire poverty, he struggled hard to secure a life of dignity and honor. The success story of this man from a crushing poverty to a cushy richness can inspire young men and women. But what really made him a man to be remembered with fond reverence was, his awareness and recognition to help the underprivileged and the neglected sections of society.
Among the early influences, Singh’s first cousin, Kishan Singh Bahra, left an indelible impression on the mind of this builder-turned-philanthropist. It was he, who imparted Singh the practical knowledge of the science of architecture. The relationship between the master and the disciple were harmoniously perfect without the hint of selfishness on either part. The master was willing to share his knowledge and the disciple staked his health and comfort and learned the intricacies of this art. Hard work paid rich dividends later when the young entrepreneur migrated to Kenya for better prospects in the early periods of post-independent India.
Lakha Singh did extremely well in his business in Kenya and his contracts ranged from building small houses to big ones for the distinguished in that country. However, it was the under the benign influence of a spiritual teacher, Sardar Pratap Singh that he took to incorporating spirituality in his life. Serving the langar, the community kitchen in a Sikh temple in Delhi, the capital of India, gave him true pleasure, pride, satisfaction and peace of mind. His wife, Sardarni Surjeet Kaur, was his constant companion in the service of humanity. She passed away in 1991.
As time passed, he roped in famous clientele in his business ventures and more money started pouring. Soon Lakha Singh became a wealthy business man. But riches never got into his head. He remained grounded to the cause of philanthropy. He gave liberal grants to educational institutes and one of his beneficiaries was the Government Girls High School at his native village, Chachoki. He funded the establishment of community halls and always stepped forward to help the needy and poor.
In consequence to his hard work, Lakha Singh’s name holds a place of prominence and honor in Nairobi’s Asian Brotherhood Society. This society is responsible for running a Ramgarhia Sikh Temple and a well-equipped hospital.
Pursuing his philanthropic spirit in India, Lakha Singh set up the ‘Lakha Singh Bahra Charitable Trust’ in 1982 with a Board of Trustees. This charitable trust was meant to grant scholarships, bursaries and financial assistance for the purchase of books and educational implements to distinguished and deserving students each year. During more than the last two decades, around 1500 students have been given merit-cum-means scholarships. Another important offshoot of this charitable effort was the ‘Partap Singh Bahra Memorial Hospital’ in Phagwara, Punjab. It was founded on April 4, 1993 to offer medical services to the poor and needy. Currently, this hospital is equipped with specialists in medicine, surgery and gynaecology and modern facilities for diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
Lakha Singh bade farewell to this world in 2004. However, the seeds of good work he sowed during his lifetime continue to blossom and help the needy.
If only all the wealthy ones out there, shared some of it with the less fortunate!
